Knitting-machine.



No. 703,973. "Patented July I, I902.

0. F. SULLIVAN.

KNITTING MACHINE.

(Applicationflled Aug. 20,v 1901.) I

3 Sheets-Shet I.

(No Model.)

INVENTOR BY m, ATTORNEY WITNESSES.

No. 703,973. Patented July I, I902.

D. F. SULLIVAN. r

KNITTING MACHINE.

v (Application flled Aug. 20, 1901.|

(No Model.) 3 sheets shpat 2.

WITNESSES. INVENTOR yw g w 9M TK BY No. 703,973. Patented July I,I902.-v

n. r. SULLIVAN.

KNITTING MACHINE. (Application fl 1ed Au 20. 1901.,

woman.) 3Sheets- Sheet3.

I p Jlf g 5 I 2' WITNESSES. lNvENToR Awoauav.

NITED STATES DANIEL F. SULLIVAN, OF LOWELL, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR OFONE- HALF TO MICHAEL J. SULLIVAN, OF RANDOLPH, MASSACHUSETTS.

KNITTING- SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent 0. 703,973, datedJ'u1y 1,1902.

Application filed August 20, 1901:. Serial No. 72,657. (No model.)

of the lap or joining when a new thread is introduced to insure the newyarn being caught by the loop-wheel and needles before the yarn beingknit is thrown out of action and to avoid making a holeat the pointwhere the yarns are changed and to operate the opening and closing ofthe shears and the guiding and severing of the yarn bypositive means.

In the accompanying drawings on three sheets, Figure 1 is a right-sideelevation of a part of the cylinder and needles of acircularspring-needle knitting-machine with my improvement attachedthereto; Fig. 2, aplan of the same; Fig. .3, a front elevation of saidimprovement; Fig. 4, a frontelevatio'n of theshears and holder and theirsupporting and operating parts; Fig. 5, an enlarged right-side elevationof the shears, guide, and closed holder; Fig. 6, same as Fig. 5, exceptthe holder being open; Fig. 7, an enlarged rightside elevation, partlyin vertical section, of parts of the devices shown in the right-handportion of Fig. 1, including the pattern-wheel and immediately-connectedparts.

The cylinder A, needles B, and loop-wheel C are of any usualconstruction and operation and are in practice used with apresser-wheel, landing-wheel, and other well-known parts not necessaryto be herein shown or described.

The yarn-guides may be substantially as shown and described in UnitedStates Patent No. 668,025, granted February 12, 1901, to my assignee foran improvement in the same class of inventions and are represented ashaving yarn-tubes d d, mounted on ends of an glelevers d (i which arepivoted at (1 d to the upper ends of otherleve'rs d (1 having theircommon fulcrums d on the upper part E of a two-partvertically-adjustable stand, the

'lower part E of which stand is secured on the bed or table whichsupports the knittingmachine, said angle-levers having at the endsfarthest from the tubes d d slots 01 d to receive a stud e,rigidlysupported on the stand part E, so that when any angle-lever iscarried by the corresponding lever 01 d toward the center of thecylinder'A the corresponding yarn-tube is lifted over the needles Bsubstantially as shown and described in said patent, but by a differentmechanism herecrowded inwardthat is, toward the cylin- I der-bypattern-pins f f carried by a rotary pattern-diskF and projecting fromthe opp0* site flat faces thereof, striking against swinging cams G G,arranged between said levers and the centerof said disk and projectinginto the path of said pins on opposite faces of said disk, said'camsboth swinging on a commonfulcrum-stud H, which projects horizontallyfrom the upper stand part E and which is adjustable by obvious means inthe vertical slot h to vary the distance above the fulcrum d at whichsaid swinging cams bear upon the levers (1 W, and consequently toregulate the amount of movement of said levers and of the angle-levers,so that the yarn shall be carried over the needles to the properdistance inside the needle circle to enable said yarn to go between theholder I and movable shearblade N, both hereinafter described.

The-levers d d" are locked when their upper ends are swung toward theneedle-cylinder B by a locking-lever K, pivoted at 70 on the stand partE, the inner arm of said lever K being forced upward by a spring 70,which presses a push-rod 10 against the under side of said inner arm,the inner end of said lever K carrying a horizontal projection 70?,which engages notches cZ d in the lower ends of the levers (Z (Z whensaid lower ends are swung outward sufficiently. The lower ends of saidlevers (Z (Z are beveled at (Z (Z to allow them in their outwardmovement to ride over the projection k depressing the front arm of thelever K, which immediately after is raised by the spring 7c to lock saidsaid levers (Z (Z out of operative position.

Only one of the levers cZ 6Z7 and the corresponding yarn-tube d or (Z isin operative position or unlocked at the same time, the lever cl and thetube (Z being representedin this position in Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 7,except during the short interval when the change from one yarn to theother is being made, during which interval both yarn-tubes are inoperative position for a few stitches to make the lap or joining.

I of the needle-cylinder A, said cylinder carrying a cam a, whichstrikes an antifrictionrollj, vertically journaled in the inner end of ahorizontal bar J, which slides longitudinally in suitable bearings jj inthe upper standpiece E, forcing said bar J outward. Said bar J carries apawlj pivoted thereto at its lower end atjin a slot in the top of saidbar and pressed upward by a spring j, which presses a pin 7' against theunder side of said pawl.

The outward movement of the bar J may be limited by a stop-pin 7' whichprojects from said bar and strikes against the bearingj, and the returnmovement or movement toward the cylinderAof said bar is accomplished bythe expansion of a coiled springj", which surrounds said bar between thebearingj and a collarj on said bar.

The outer arm of the lever K, has adjustably secured thereto a lifter L,made in two parts Z Z, the lower, Z, of which is adjustablelongitudinally on said arm, being secured thereto by screws Z which passthrough longitudinal slots Z in said part Z into said arm, and the upperpart Z of which is secured in a similar manner to said lower part byascrew Z which passes through a slot Z in the part Z into the part Z, thepart Z carrying at its upper end an incline Z which normally stands inthe path of the unlocking-pins f When an unlocking-pin passes under theincline Z, the outer arm of the lever K is raised, and the lever (Z ord", as the case may be, is unlocked and moves to operative position.

The shears, consisting of a fixed blade M and a movable blade N, aresupported upon a bracket E, which is secured .to or integral with theupper stand part E, the fixed blade M being rigidly secured to the innerside of a sleeve m, which is held by a set-screw in such manner that byslightly turning said sleeve the blade M may be placed at the best anglefor receiving the yarn, and by moving said sleeve longitudinally thedistance of said fixed blade and of the guide m tintegral with saidfixed blade) from the needles may be so adjusted that said fixed bladeand guide will not be struck by the needles and, on the other hand, thatthe yarn will be prevented from passing between said blade and theneedles without being caught by the shears.

The shape of the combined shear blade and guide M m is indicated in thedrawings, the same consisting of a plate of metal supported, as abovedescribed, and arranged at theinside of the circle of needles andprovided with a notch m the side of which notch nearest the loop-wheelis beveled on the face nearest the needles to form a knife-edge m thelower curved edge m at the side of the notch farthest from the knifeedgem serving as a guide to direct the yarn as drawn by the loop-wheel'andneedles up into said notch, said edge m codperating with the curvedoutside guiding edge 19 of a plate 1?, arranged on the outer side of theneedles at the same height and angle with said edgep, pressing againstand closing the beards of the needles to prevent the yarn being caughtby said beards before entering the loop-wheel. The outer guide issubstantially as shown in said previous patent, except that it isadjustably secured on the upper stand part E instead of the loop-wheelstand.

The movable blade N is rigidly secured to a shaft 'It, which turns inthe sleeve m, above mentioned, and is held in contact with the fixedblade by a spring, represented as a spiral spring n, which surroundstheshaft 17., and is compressed between the end of the sleeve m ICC and thehub n of the lever 02 which hub surrounds said shaft and is retainedthereon by a set-screw 01 Fig. 5, in an obvious manner. By looseningsaid screw 71. the lever 17. may be adjusted lengthwise of the shaft 01to vary the tension of the spring at andto compensate for the wear ofthe blades.

The outer end of the lever n is connected by the rod 72 to the free endof another arm or lever n, fast on the shaft N, which turns in the standpart E and has at its outer end an arm n Figs. 4: and 7, the free end ofwhich enters'a fork o in the end of the outer arm 0 of a bell-cranklever O, pivoted at 0 on the stand part E. The outer end of the lever Kis connected by a link 0 to the arm 0 of the lever 0, so that when saidouter end of said lever K is raised by the above-described action of anunlocking-pin f on the lifter L the said arm 0 is raised, the shaft N isrocked, lifting up the rod 01 and the shears are opened at the same timethat the lever 6Z6 or (Z as the case may be, is unlocked.

The yarn-holder I is rigidly secured to a shaft 1', capable of turningslightly in the same bracket E which supports the shaft 92 of themovable blade N, these shafts 2' n being at right angles to each other.The shaft iis provided with a broad bearing-flange t", which restsagainst one face of said bracket E and said shaft is surrounded by aspiral spring t compressed between the other face of said bracket F. andan adjustable collar t which may be moved longitudinally on said shaft't' to vary the compression of said spring and may be turned on saidshaft to vary the force of torsion of said spring, the ends of saidspring being secured to said bracket and to said collar, respectively,the expansive force of said spring holding the flange 2" against thebracket and the torsional force of said spring causing the lower end ofthe holder I to press against the movable knife N. The movable knife Nis provided with a rounded cam projection n which when said blade opensor swings away from the cutting edge of the fixed blade M presses theholder away from said blades, as shown in Fig. 6, and allows the yarn topass freely between said holder and the blade N through the notch m atthe same time releasing the yarn previously held between the holder andsaid movable blade.

Although the spring 7; may be made strong enough to raise the inner endof the lever K into locking position, I have thought it advisable to usea positive means of restoring said lever to its normal locking position,because of the considerable force required to overcome the friction ofthe movable blade on the fixed blade and holder and of the shafts n 2'in the bracket- E and of the shaft N in its bearings and the resistanceof otherparts connected with said lever K. I therefore provide the bar Jwith a pin or projectionj Fig. 1, which strikes the inner arm of thebellcrank lever 0 when the bar J is moved outward next after the openingof the shears and restores the lever K to locking position and closesthe shears.

The shears are never looked, either in their open or closed position,and the holder is not locked, butis merely held by its spring againstthe movable blade and moves outward when the cam projection 91 on saidmovable blade swings under said holder.

I claim as my invention 1. The combination of a fixed blade, a movableblade and a holder, arranged in contact with said movable blade andadapted to be opened by a cam projection, with which said movable bladeis provided, when said movable blade is opened, said movable blade beingnormally closed.

guides, said blades and first-named 2. The combination of a fixed blade,a holder, arranged parallel with said blade, a movable blade, arrangedbetween and in contact with said fixed blade and said holder, means forpressing said holder against said movable blade, said bladesconstituting a pair of shears and said movable blade being provided witha cam projection, to crowd said holder away from the body of saidmovable blade when said shears are opening and to permit said holderto'press against said movable blade when said shears are closed, saidshears being normally closed, and means of opening said shears toreceive one yarn and to release another yarn.

3. In a striping attachment for circularknitting machines, thecombination of shears, a needle-cylinder, and positive means actuated bysaid pattern-wheel for opening said shears, and positive means actuatedby said needle-cylinder for closing said shears.

4. The combination of the needle-cylinder and needles, the shearsarranged inside the circle of needles and stationary guides arrangedopposite each other,one within and the other Without said circle, toguide a yarn into said shears.

5. The combined fixed blade and guidepiece, provided witha notch, and amovable blade, in combination with a needle-cylinder and needles andanother guide, arranged outside of said needles, opposite saidfirst-named guide being arranged inside of said needles.

6. The combination with the needle-cylinder and needles of yarn-carryinglevers,swinging cams to operate said levers, a patternwheel adapted toengage said cams, a locking-lever, adapted to engage said first-namedlovers, to hold them out of operative position.

7. The combination with the needle-cylinder and needles ofyarn-carryingle vers,swing ing cams to operate said levers, a pattern-Wheel adapted to engage said cams, a locking-lever, adapted to engagesaid first-named levers to hold them out of operative position, anincline carried by said locking-lever, unlocking-pins, carried by saidpattern-wheel and engaging said incline, to move said locking-levertounlock said first-named levers, and springs, to restore saidfirst-named levers to operative position. I

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature in presence of twowitnesses.

DANIEL F. SULLIVAN.

Witnesses:

ALBERT M. MOORE, ANNA T. HALLORAN.

